Incandescent igniter for gas-engines.



Patented Aug. l4, I900.

' A. G. NEW.

INCANDESGENT IGNITEB FOR GAS ENGINES.

(Application filed Nov. 21, 1899'.)

\ 2 Sheets-Sheet I,

(No Model.)

w m i! awvawtoz Patented Aug. l4, I900.

A. 6. NEW:

INCANDESCENT IGNITER FOR GAS ENGINES.

(Application filed Nov. 21, 18 99.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets8heei z.

a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, re-' ANTHONY GEORGE NEW ATENT rric.

, OF WOKING, ENGLAND.

INCANDESCENT IGNITER FOR GAS-ENGINES.

S?ECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 656,143, dated August 14, 1900.

Application filed November 21, 1899. Serial No. 737,809. (Nomodeh) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANTHONY GEORGE NEW,

siding at The Voltage,Woking,England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in oil or gas engines, and

has for its object to produce means for automatically regulating the time at which the effective explosion occurs during the cycle of.

such oil or gas engine. It is well known that the provision of means whereby variablytimed ignition can be effected enables greater uniform power and also greater range of speed to be obtained from an internal-combustion engine. Among methods used for effecting variable timing of ignition, varying the time at which the igniter comes into contact with the explosion charge and varying the rapidity with which the effective explosion follows the contact of the igniter with the charge may be mentioned. I am aware that devices of this kind have been arranged so as to be automatically controlled by a speed-governor; but this invention enables any of these devices to be automatically and more correctly varied, according to the requirements of the engine, by the explosions themselves.

To carry this invention into effect, I arrange a mechanism consisting of two independently-moved parts, whose resultant action is an alteration of position of a third part, during a certain period in the cycle of the engine, either in one direction or the other, or m'l, according to their relative times of motion. The one of these moved parts is actuated directly or indirectly by the engineshaft, (preferably directly from the halfspeed cam-shaft in a four-stroke engine,) and the other moved'part is actuated by the sudden rise in pressure in the cylinder due to the explosion. The third part, which is arranged so as to be readjusted in either direc tion or to remain in the same position at a certain period in the cycle of the engine by the resultant action, is connected to the variable-timing ignition device in such a manner as to either cause earlier or later ignition in the cycle of operations when and according to the direction in which it is readjusted. The mechanism is so arranged that if an effective explosion occurs in the cylinder before the correct time the one of its moved parts (actuated by the engine-shaft) coacts with the other of its moved parts, (actuated byv the sudden rise of pressure,) and they cause the third part to assume a position during the firing period of the cycle which causes the ignition device to operate later during the next cycle of the engine. The mechanism is also so arranged that if no explosion occurs at or before the correct time a position is assumed by the third part during the firing period in the opposite direction and with converse effect. Under all other conditions no alteration of position is assumed by the third part at that period. It is obvious that a great number of mechanisms satisfying these conditions can be easily designed, either reciprocating or rotary actions being employed, and that the resultant action of the two actuated parts may either cause the third (actuating) part to be moved only so much as is required for adjusting the ignition device or to be moved through any convenient path, so long as its position near about the igniting period in the cycle of the engine is. varied as much as is required for adjusting the ignition device at the required period. I do not Wish to limit myself to any particular details of construction, but reserve the right to modify and alter the device shown and described herein as fully as my claims will permit. The drawings show one mechanism of the kind above referred to, to-

gether with an arrangement of parts by which the desired effect can be obtained, and will enable a full description of the invention to be made.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, and-in which like characters of reference indicate same parts throughout- Figure l is an end view of the cylinder of an internal-combustion engine provided with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a side view of the combustion-chamber end of the cylinder, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 2, but showing an alternative construction and Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the drawings, A is the working cylinder, which has no separate combustion-chamber; B, the water-jacket therefor; C, the inletvalve,.and D is the exhaust-valve.

E is the half-speed cam-shaft, carrying the inlet-actuating cam C and the exhaust-valve cam D which actuate their valves by means of the levers O and D, respectively.

F is an ignition device, arranged to effect ignition when the irregular-shaped cam F which is mounted on a feather-key on the cam-shaft E and is beveled longitudinally, as shown at F, causes the hot igniter F to come into contact with the combustible charge by means of the levers F", the rocking shaft and fork F, and the shutters F More particularly described, this ignition device consists of a chamber F, supported in the end of the cylinder A, with spaces or windows therebetween, which windows are adapted to be opened and closed by the shutters F carried on the slidable sleeve F which is mounted on the ignition-tube F and adapted to be operated by the rocking shaft and fork F The igniter F on the inner end of the ignitiontube F is preferably of platinum and is heated internally either electrically or by other means, so that when the shutters F are caused to slide open by the cam F through the mechanism described the igniter is brought into direct contact with the explosive gases, and thereby causes the explosion. This particular device forms no part of my present invention, but forms the subject-matter of my English Patent No. 29,467, of December 13, 1897.

In the end of the cylinder A is fitted a'small piston G, which is free to move a short distance, but which fits tightly in a small cylinder formed in the wall of the working cylinder A and in free communication with the interior. The piston G is provided with valvefaces at both ends, which fit seatings provided at each end of the small cylinder. A pistonrod G is secured to the small piston G, and this is connected to a rocking arm G which is fixed to a rocking shaft G", fitted in suitable bearings G Also rigidly attached to the shaft G are arms G G and G The arm G is connected with a spring G in such a manner that the spring tends to keep the small piston G in the position shown in the drawings, its strength being such that it can only resist any tendency of the piston G to move in its cylinder due to the ordinary compression of the combustible mixture in the working cylinder previous to ignition. The arms G G are provided at their ends with forks which ride about the rod H. The rod H is provided with two spring-catches H, the one pointing inward toward the cylinder and the other outward, and it is also provided with guides H H in which and the forks G it is only free to reciprocate.

J is a lever pivoted at J 3 and carrying a roller J which is pressed by the spring J 4 against a cam J on the cam-shaft E. The lever J is connected by means of a pin J to the rod H in such a manner as to cause the rod H to be reciprocated by the cam J. The cam J is so shaped and fixed to the cam-shaft E that it causes the rod H to move away from it during the latter part of the compressionstroke of the engine and allows it to be moved back again during the early part of the firing or working stroke of the engine.

K is a rod which is carried in friction-bearings K K and which carries toothed racks K K and which is also connected by means of the forked levers K, pivoted at K to the ignition-cam F The racks K K have their teeth set in opposite directions and are so arranged that one of the spring catches or pawls H comes into contact with the one of them when the small piston G, which controls the position of the rod H within its guides H is at one end of its small cylinder and that the other catch comes into contact with the other rack when the piston G is at the other end of its small cylinder. The racks K K and the pawls H H are so arranged that if the rod H moves from left to right, Fig. 4, when in the position shown the pawl H does not engage with the teeth of the rack K*, but slips over them. If, however, the rod H is moved in the opposite direction, the pawl H would engage with the rack K and cause the rod H to move the rod K, and consequently the position of the cam F on the shaft E. The racks K and pawls H are also so arranged that if the piston G is at the other end of its cylinder to that shown in the drawings movement of the rod H would have a converse effect to that mentioned above.

In Fig. 3 is represented an alternative arrangement for the piston G. It consists of a diaphragm G held firmly about its circumference in a chamber formed in the cylinderwall A, and connected rigidly to it is a rod G, which is connected as already described.

The manner in which this invention works is as follows: Assuming that from some cause preignition is occurring during any given cycle of operations of the engine, the small piston G or diaphragm G would be driven by the explosion in the cylinder A to the position in which it causes the rod H and pawl H to be in the other position to that shown in Fig; 4, and since at this moment the rod H will be traveling from left to right, Fig. 4, by virtue of the cam J then the pawl H will engage with the rack K and cause the rod K to move the ignition-cam F along the camshaft E, thus causing the cam F to effect ignition at a later moment during the following cycle. Assuming that late ignition is occurring during any given cycle, then the piston G, rod H, and pawls H will remain in that position shown in Fig. 4, and the cam J will allow the spring J 4 to cause the rod H to travel from right to left, Fig. 4. The pawl H will then cause the rod H to move the rod K, which then moves the ignition-cam F in the direction causing earlier ignition during the next cycle.

It will be seen that no motion is imparted 'to the rod K and the cam F so long as the tions of either temperature, fuel, speed, or'

other conditions.

It must be understood that I do not bind myself to the use of any particular variable-- timing igniter.

Having fully described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a gas or oil engine, the combination of a member actuated by the pressure in the combustion-chamber, a second member actuated by the engine-shaft, a third member actuated by the resultant of the first and second members, and avariabletiming ignition device connected to the third member and adjusted by it.

2. In a gas or oil engine, the combination with the working cylinder and shaft operated thereby, a piston seated in the walls of the cylinder, a rock-shaft connected the'reto,arms projecting from the rock-shaft, a rod slidably mounted in the arms, means for sliding the rod longitudinally during certain periods in the cycle of the engine, oppositely-disposed pawls carried by the rod, a rack-bar having sets of teeth engaged by the pawls, and an ignitin g device regulated by the rack-bar, substantially as described.

3. In a gas or oil engine, a rod adapted to receive a longitudinal reciprocation from the en gine-shaft, means actuated by the pressure in the combustion-chamber for giving said rod a lateral reciprocation, oppositely-disposed engaging means carried by the rod, a member operated by said engaging means,- and a Variable-timing ignition device regulated by said member, substantially as described.

4. In a gas or oil engine, a rod adapted to receive a longitudinal reciprocation from the engine-shaft, means actuated by the pressure in the combustion-chamber for giving said rod a lateral reciprocation, oppositely disposed engaging means carried by the rod, a sliding rod, oppositely-disposed racks carried thereby and adapted to be engaged by the engaging means, and a variable-timing ignition device regulated by the sliding rod, substantially as described.

5. In a gas or oil engine, a rod adapted to receive a longitudinal reciprocation from the en gine-shaft, means actuated by the pressure in the combustion-chamber for giving said rod a lateral reciprocation, oppositely-disposed spring-pawls mounted on the rod, a sliding rod, oppositely-disposed racks carried thereby and adapted to be engaged by the pawls, and a variable-timing ignition device regulated by the sliding rod, substantially as described.

6. In a gas or oil engine, a spring-pressed rook-shaft, means actuated by the pressure in the combustion-chamber for operating said rock-shaft, arms projecting from the rockshaft, a rod slidably mounted in said arms, means actuated by the engine-shaft for giving the rod a longitudinal reciprocation oppositely-disposed engaging means carriedby the'rod, a member operated by the engaging means, and a variable-timing ignition-device regulated by said member, substantially as described.

7. In a gas or oil engine, a rod adaptedto receive a longitudinal reciprocation from the engine-shaft, means actuated by the pressure in the combustion-chamber forgiving said rod a lateral reciprocation, oppositely-disposed engaging means carried by the rod, a sliding rod actuated by said engaging means, a lever connected to the sliding rod, a variable cam splined on the engine-shaft and operated by the lever, and an ignition device actuated by said cam, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANTHONY GEORGE NEW.

Witnesses:

PERCY E. MATTOCKS, EDMUND S. SNEWIN. 

